


Coping Mechanism

by AngelaFaye11



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Angst, Brightwell, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:47:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23721847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelaFaye11/pseuds/AngelaFaye11
Summary: Sex is like psychological gasoline. The wrong emotional spark, and you get an explosion.
Relationships: Malcolm Bright/Dani Powell
Comments: 25
Kudos: 88





	Coping Mechanism

**Author's Note:**

> My first one shot!  
> This contains some mildly detailed violence, angst galore, and Brightwell sexiness. What more could you ask for really?

“Bright?” 

Dani knocked on the door again, louder this time. Music was blaring from within the apartment. She checked her watch- 1:45 in the morning. His neighbors were probably loving this. “BRIGHT!” her fists pounded the door. Still no answer. Dani reached into her pocket and pulled out the key Gil had given her, a small silver M dangling from the end of the chain. She honestly didn’t like the idea of letting herself into someone else’s apartment without permission, especially Malcolm’s. She’d be pissed if the situation were reversed. However, given the events of the afternoon, this particular breach of privacy was warranted.

Dani unlocked the door and slowly opened it, completely unprepared for how much louder the music was inside the apartment. No wonder he didn’t answer the door. She closed it behind her, scanning the room for her partner, as the song vibrated through her. His suit coat and tie were draped over one of the bar stools next to the island. His shoes were kicked off in the middle of the floor. Dani’s eyes followed the direction in which they were pointing and found him. Malcolm was behind his staircase, shirt untucked, sleeves rolled up. He was doing push-ups at what, even she had to admit, was an impressive pace. 

She was slightly behind him, and he hadn’t seen her yet. 

_Okay, the music has to calm down._

Dani turned her head toward the stereo, catching a glimpse of the island as she did. The contents of the counter frightened her: a glass tumbler with only a few drops of amber liquid remaining, and three bottles of pills, each opened with the cap sitting beside it. Next to the tumbler, three pills sat, thankfully, untaken. 

Dani breathed a sigh of relief. While she didn’t presume to know anything about Malcolm’s medications, or the schedule on which he took them, she was fairly confident that there wasn’t a regular 1:45am dosage time. He was struggling. Honestly, so was she. Try as she might, Dani couldn’t get the horrific images out of her head. 

She turned her head back to Malcolm, who hadn’t slowed down at all. He was sweating; the hair dangling in front of his face looked wet and his shirt was sticking to his back. The ten thousand dollar suits were nice, of course. What woman didn’t enjoy a well dressed man? But Dani had always thought that in Malcolm’s case, the suits didn’t do him enough justice. They hid what was a lean, and impressively fit physique. Maybe it was because dressed-to-the-nines was Bright’s everyday, but seeing him in casual clothing, or something as simple as rolled up sleeves and an untucked shirt, did things to her sometimes. Things she quickly tried to shake off, ignore, and never confront again once the moment was over. 

Case in point: she was essentially ogling Mallcolm while he was exercising. Realizing this, Dani yelled over the music, “BRIGHT!”

Malcolm jerked mid push-up, “Ah!” 

She walked over to the stereo and turned it off. 

“Jesus, Dani,” he said, standing up, running his hands through his damp hair to get it out of his face. For once, he didn’t exactly look thrilled to see her. “How did you get in here?”

Walking back toward him, Dani held up Gil’s key.

“Of course,” he snorted. Malcolm walked right past her over to the island, refilling the empty glass.

Dani gestured to the countertop, “So, this is how we’re handling today?”

He took a sizable gulp from his drink, “You have a better suggestion?”

“ _Not_ boozing out and taking pills,” she retorted.

Malcolm held out the index finger of the hand holding the glass, “And exercising, which was actually my second choice, but the quickest way to ‘out pain the pain’ so to speak. I didn’t take any of the pills… yet.” 

Dani crossed her arms, “That’s not funny, Malcolm.” 

“You’re absolutely right, _Danielle_ ,” he emphasized her full name, “none of this is funny.” He downed half of what remained in the tumbler, “It’s fucking tragic.” Malcolm walked over to the back of the couch and leaned forward against it. “And it’s my fault.” 

_Of course he’s blaming himself._

She knew he would. Gil knew he would. That’s why four words into her request the lieutenant simply held up the key and told her to go to him. 

“Bright--” 

“Don’t.” Malcolm shook his head, his back still turned to her, “Don’t do that.” 

Dani took a cautious step toward him, “It’s not your fault.” 

His head lowered, his shoulders were tense and not from the workout. They carried an obvious weight on them, a weight that she knew could crush him if he wasn’t careful. “Stop,” he ordered. 

“There was no way for you to know--”

“IT’S MY JOB TO FUCKING KNOW, DANI!” Malcolm hurled his tumbler at the fireplace, an explosion of glass and whisky. Then, he white-knuckled the leather of the couch, as though it was all that was holding him upright. His next sentence was a deflated whisper, “I should have known.”

A tear she didn’t know had been building, silently fell down Dani’s cheek. Against her will, the day’s events came rushing back to her. 

Malcolm was ahead of her, sprinting with everything he had. Their suspect, Michael Lewis, was fifty feet in front of him, gun in hand. Without warning Michael ducked into the coffee shop on the corner, as did Malcolm, on his heels. When Dani caught up a few seconds after, Michael was standing by the counter, a hostage held in front of him like a human shield. Malcolm was ten feet in front of them, hands raised, attempting to deescalate the situation.

“Nobody needs to get hurt, Michael. Just take a second and breathe.” 

Dani looked at the teenage girl Lewis was holding, “Just stay calm. Everything’s going to be okay.” The girl’s eyes were filled with fear. 

Lewis held the gun to her head, his grip around her waist ever-tightening. 

“Think about this, Michael,” Malcolm continued, “you don’t want this on your conscience. She isn’t part of your mission. This isn’t what your work is about.” 

Outside sirens wailed and through the glass walls, the lights of the cars lit up the shop like a cheap club. Michael’s focus shifted to the small legion of cops that were amassing just outside the door. A smile that sent a cold chill through Dani spread across the killer’s face. Her hand inched slowly toward her gun.

“No, it’s not,” Michael replied to the profiler, “But, I bet it makes the national news.” 

Malcolm knew. “Wait!” he begged, before the shot echoed throughout the small shop. There was nothing they could do. The girl’s body went limp and crashed to the floor with a nauseating thud. Her mother shrieked in agony. Malcolm’s arm was still outstretched in front of him; his plea ignored. He was staring at the girl, in stunned horror. Dani’s eyes caught the shift in Michael’s arm, the gun turning toward Malcolm. She didn’t think, didn’t hesitate. She simply pulled her weapon, and fired. Michael’s body fell with the same sickening sound, as blood poured from his forehead. 

Dani wiped another tear from her cheek.

“Anna Tucker. She was fifteen. _Fifteen_.” Malcolm took a deep breath that stuttered as he inhaled. “He didn’t profile as an attention-seeking killer. Everything about his M.O. said mission-based.” He smacked the back of his couch and turned to look at her, trying desperately to fight the tears that were threatening. “Anna Tucker is dead, because I didn’t do my job.” His eyes were riddled with guilt, and anguish, “I failed her, Dani. She trusted me to save her. And I failed.”

“We failed. I was there too.” 

Malcolm shook his head and threw his hands out in front of him, “That doesn’t make it any better! That doesn’t change the fact that she’s gone! That her mother was _right there_ and saw her daughter get shot in the head!” As he said the last word, his hands went to his, fisting his hair. Malcolm’s tears were no longer threats, they spilled out openly and with fervor. His breaths sped up; he was hyperventilating, as the breakdown finally hit him with full force. 

Dani closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him. Malcolm was still grasping his hair. “I can’t get her face out of my head. Her eyes. Her mother’s scream.” He let go of his hair and returned Dani’s embrace, squeezing her tightly, his head buried in her shoulder. She tried to be strong for him, but hearing Bright’s torment was too much for her to handle. Her own tears fell freely, though she tried to be as silent as she could. Dani’s guilt had been quietly gnawing at her all evening. She had a gun. She should have fired the minute Michael’s focus shifted. There was time. If she had acted within those few precious seconds, Anna might still be alive. 

Malcolm fisted the back of her shirt, “They won’t go away,” he continued. “I need them to stop, Dani. I need the pain to stop.”

“I know,” she whispered, her hand caressing the hair at the nape of Malcolm’s neck. “I know.”

After a moment, Malcolm raised his head off of her shoulder, and looked her in the eyes. The pain behind his mirrored her own, and it broke her heart. Neither of them spoke. Without thinking, Dani leaned in and kissed him. She wanted so badly to make his pain disappear, to forget her own. When she pulled back, she waited to see his reaction. 

Malcolm stared at her again, his brows furrowed for a second in question. Then, his eyes darkened and glanced at her lips before looking back up at her. The hurt, the anguish had vanished, replaced with a hooded desire that immediately sent a tingle throughout her. He slowly licked his lips before grabbing her neck and pulling her to him. The first kiss was sweet, caring, but this one was rough and desperate. They both needed to forget, to feel something other than guilt and torment. 

Dani’s hands set to work on the remaining buttons of Malcolm’s shirt. She paused for a moment when he pulled hers up and over her head, kicking off her boots in the process. His hands roamed every inch of her available skin, leaving trails of flame behind them. Malcolm kissed her again, his tongue begging for hers, which she happily granted. Each of them was gasping for breath any time their lips parted, as he walked her toward the open wall space under his stairs.

When he found the button of her jeans, Dani’s pulse skyrocketed. Once she was free of them, she wrapped a leg around Malcolm’s hip and he groaned into her neck as he rubbed against her. The sound sent a wave of heat through her. He trailed kisses up and down her neck and chest as she removed his remaining clothing. Malcolm found her lips again and she melted into him. Again she wrapped a leg around him, this time there was nothing separating the two of them. He found the right angle and thrust forward, with another fervid moan. Dani’s breath hitched, the sounds that escaped her encouraging him to continue. 

Malcolm wasted no time finding a rhythm. Each of them meeting the other’s motion hungrily. Dani had never imagined Malcolm to be the rough, against-the-wall type. There was nothing gentle about what he was doing, and she wasn’t complaining. Dani could feel the pleasure building already. She dug one of her hands into Malcolm’s back. He growled into her ear and thrust harder. That was all it took to push her over the edge. Malcolm kept the new pace, drawing out her pleasure and eventually bringing his own. He buried his head in her neck and groaned as he finished.

He held her there, against the wall, around him, for some time before finally setting her down gently. Dani’s legs were weak, for more than one reason. Malcolm leaned in and kissed her. This kiss mirrored the one she had given him originally, book-ending the moment. 

When he pulled back, they again stared at each other. Dani had no idea what to say. She didn’t regret a thing about what had just happened. Based on his expression, neither did Malcolm. The momentary distraction had served its purpose. But that was the thing, it was momentary- not permanent. As amazing as that had been, their issues were still awaiting them on the other side. Malcolm broke the stare to hand her her discarding clothing. Once they were re-dressed Dani cleared her throat and Malcolm turned to face her. 

“So… Do you want to talk?” she asked. 

Malcolm glanced down at the floor, then back up at her. “Yeah,” he nodded, extending his hand to her. She took it, and he led them to the kitchen. “Earl Grey?” 

Dani smiled at his attention to detail, and watched as he set to work making their tea. 


End file.
